Describe something that you know how to do well. How do you know you do it well? How did you get interested in this topic? How did you develop your expertise? How do you hope to use this knowledge/skill in the future?
I really like this question, because it makes me to dig more of myself. I am trying to think what I may do well. I even draw a list of what kind of person I am and what I can do. For my personalities: brave, patient, nice, ready to help, thoughtful.... For skills: singing, drawing, learning new language, making friends, interviewing and ask questions, combine resources, communication, running, sleeping... I think to answer this question, it is more related to skills people are good at.
I like singing, I have a beautiful voice, but I am not an expert at singing. I know little of professional music knowledge. However, I still consider singing as a thing I can do well. I am really good at singing children's songs. When I was in elementary school, I was once selected to sing for my school in a big singing competition, and I won a medal. However, as I devoted all my efforts into study in junior high and high school, I didn't get any improvement in singing at all. What I should thankful most is that I still keep my pure voice, I am still being able to sing like a little girl. Anytime we went out for singing, my friends would be surprised at my children-like voice, one of my roommate even asked me to record some songs for her nephew. Unfortunately, it was not so cute to sing children's songs in front of public for an adult, so most of time I just sing for fun. Singing is part of my life, I sing when I cook, I sing when I see something touch my heart, I sing in elevator, I sing for my dear friends. I am bad at memorizing lyrics, I often get stunk by words, but I keep singing "lalalalalala" . Singing brings me good moods, I could feel the emotional feeling of the singer between lines and combine them with my life. When I am in blue, I won't choose to do crazy shopping (which most girls will choose to do), I will choose to find a open place and sing loud. This is a good vent for people to give off bad feelings. Singing helps me learning languages. I could speak Thai, I learnt Thai mostly by listening and learning soft songs. I went to church last year a lot with host families, I could say I was so easy to get lost when listening to their speech. However, when it came to choir, I learned a lot from songs and I memorized a lot of new words and knowledge. Singing helps me making friends too. People would like a person who is optimistic and likes singing. In a word, singing is my part of life, it makes me to be a better person.
Now, I want to talk about how I use my singing in my teaching career. I once taught elementary students Chinese in Thailand. I just graduated from college with no teaching experience. I couldn't speak Thai and I didn't know how to teach Chinese and deal with students. I got frustrated in the first three months. In the second semester, I developed my own teaching style which was learning Chinese by singing. I combined things we were supposed to learn as much as possible into songs. Students might throw all language points they learned back to you, but it was hard for them to forget a song with rhythm. I enjoyed teaching them singing, and they learned a lot in music. They all loved me so much. I am so glad that more and more singing materials for students learning Chinese have sprung up in the past five years. Based on complicated teaching conditions all over the world, these materials are far not enough. I have to say again, I am not an expert, I am just so into adapting leaning contents into songs. This is the thing I will keep doing in my future teaching career. It is time for me to be more open minded to absorb more music elements in adapting songs, you know, students are expert. What you have to do is to get to know their singing code.
I really like this question, because it makes me to dig more of myself. I am trying to think what I may do well. I even draw a list of what kind of person I am and what I can do.
For my personalities: brave, patient, nice, ready to help, thoughtful....
For skills: singing, drawing, learning new language, making friends, interviewing and ask questions, combine resources, communication, running, sleeping...
I think to answer this question, it is more related to skills people are good at.
I like singing, I have a beautiful voice, but I am not an expert at singing. I know little of professional music knowledge. However, I still consider singing as a thing I can do well. I am really good at singing children's songs. When I was in elementary school, I was once selected to sing for my school in a big singing competition, and I won a medal. However, as I devoted all my efforts into study in junior high and high school, I didn't get any improvement in singing at all. What I should thankful most is that I still keep my pure voice, I am still being able to sing like a little girl. Anytime we went out for singing, my friends would be surprised at my children-like voice, one of my roommate even asked me to record some songs for her nephew. Unfortunately, it was not so cute to sing children's songs in front of public for an adult, so most of time I just sing for fun.
Singing is part of my life, I sing when I cook, I sing when I see something touch my heart, I sing in elevator, I sing for my dear friends. I am bad at memorizing lyrics, I often get stunk by words, but I keep singing "lalalalalala" .
Singing brings me good moods, I could feel the emotional feeling of the singer between lines and combine them with my life. When I am in blue, I won't choose to do crazy shopping (which most girls will choose to do), I will choose to find a open place and sing loud. This is a good vent for people to give off bad feelings.
Singing helps me learning languages. I could speak Thai, I learnt Thai mostly by listening and learning soft songs. I went to church last year a lot with host families, I could say I was so easy to get lost when listening to their speech. However, when it came to choir, I learned a lot from songs and I memorized a lot of new words and knowledge.
Singing helps me making friends too. People would like a person who is optimistic and likes singing.
In a word, singing is my part of life, it makes me to be a better person.
Now, I want to talk about how I use my singing in my teaching career. I once taught elementary students Chinese in Thailand. I just graduated from college with no teaching experience. I couldn't speak Thai and I didn't know how to teach Chinese and deal with students. I got frustrated in the first three months. In the second semester, I developed my own teaching style which was learning Chinese by singing. I combined things we were supposed to learn as much as possible into songs. Students might throw all language points they learned back to you, but it was hard for them to forget a song with rhythm. I enjoyed teaching them singing, and they learned a lot in music. They all loved me so much.
I am so glad that more and more singing materials for students learning Chinese have sprung up in the past five years. Based on complicated teaching conditions all over the world, these materials are far not enough. I have to say again, I am not an expert, I am just so into adapting leaning contents into songs. This is the thing I will keep doing in my future teaching career.
It is time for me to be more open minded to absorb more music elements in adapting songs, you know, students are expert. What you have to do is to get to know their singing code.